Cabernet Sauvignon "Slope", Immortal Estate, Sonoma County, CA, 2019

Jeb Dunnuck

Bold and muscular, the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Slope comes from the Immortal Estate Vineyard, which sits on the red volcanic soils on the Sonoma side of the Mayacamas mountains. Including 2% Petit Verdot and pouring an opaque black, potent and layered aromas lift from the glass, with menthol, cassis, toasted cedar, and vanilla. Fleshy and very full-bodied, its velvety sweet tannins and plummy fruit coat the palate, with fresh acidity and a long, toasty finish. A seductive wine, it will take time to lose some of its baby fat and reveal its more savory complexity. Drink 2025-2040.

Immortal is a project of Tim Martin of Tusk in Napa, Randy Nichols, and winemaker Timothy Milos. Tim was drawn to the diversity of Sonoma and wanted to make a truly luxury wine on the other side of the mountain. Immortal is a terraced vineyard site planted on 55-degree slopes high in the Mayacamas Mountains. The estate was officially rebranded in 2014. I visited the vineyard with Tim Martin this May and found it to be truly one of the more unique sites I’ve seen, tucked into incredibly rugged and mountainous terrain. The wines are opulent, luxurious, and highly finessed while retaining the hallmark piney herbaceousness that the other side of the mountain has to offer. I would encourage lovers of Napa to explore these wines as a gateway to Sonoma.